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Board appoints Stacy Ho as provisional trustee after contested interview process
Summary
The San Mateo-Foster City School District board appointed Stacy Ho as a provisional trustee in a 3–1 vote after interviewing three finalists; the panel debated whether classroom experience or policy-focused experience best serves the board role.
The San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees voted 3–1 to appoint Stacy Ho as a provisional trustee following interviews with three finalists.
Stacy Ho, introduced during the board’s interview period, told trustees she has 17 years in education and currently serves as director of college counseling and academic advising at Pacific Bay Christian School in Pacifica. She emphasized protecting immigrant and undocumented students and described her work supporting diverse learners and refugee families. Ho said she was motivated to seek the appointment to provide oversight and protection for students she called among the district’s most vulnerable.
Board members debated priorities during deliberations. Several trustees said they valued hands-on classroom experience and cited Diana Harris’s extensive site-level work and community ties as reasons to prefer her; others said the board also needs members who focus on district-level policy and fiscal issues, which was part of Stacy Ho’s appeal. Trustee statements repeatedly referenced the need to balance "site-level" advocacy with the board’s responsibility to set policy and make tough financial decisions.
Before the vote, multiple community members and educators spoke in support of Diana Harris, praising her classroom leadership and long history of volunteer work in district programs. Trustees acknowledged the broad community engagement for each finalist but concluded Ho’s policy orientation and statements about communicating hard decisions made her the preferred choice.
Following the appointment, the board administered the oath of office to Stacy Ho and welcomed her to the dais. The board then recessed briefly and reconvened for its annual organizational meeting, electing Trustee Brooks as president, Maggie Trent as vice president, and Trustee Kim as clerk by voice vote.
The appointment will be reflected in the minutes and the new trustee will serve until the next election or until the board’s statutory appointment period ends. The board said it will continue outreach to the community and invited speakers from the interview process to future meetings to maintain public engagement.
